Congressman on Impeachment: Democrats 'Wouldn't Get Punished For It' in 2020 Election

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said the Democratic-controlled House “shouldn’t be afraid of using impeachment” but Democrats “haven’t built a case” to justify going down that path yet.

Some Democrats have called for impeachment of President Trump but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has not.

“I think we shouldn’t be afraid of using impeachment but I think we still haven’t built a case to do that. I think we still have to get Mueller in there [to testify] and we have to get a couple of other people that are mentioned in there — that are witnesses to some impeachable offenses; to get them under oath to actually testify that it happened and then make decisions from there,” Gallego said during an interview with PJM on the red carpet at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend.

When asked if he thinks pursuing impeachment could hurt the Democratic Party heading into the 2020 election, Gallego replied, “No, I believe that if we lead with our values and we believe that we have to uphold the rule of law and starting an inquiry into impeachment means that, I think that we wouldn’t get punished for it but we have to make sure we are doing this in a very serious manner after enough proof so the public knows we are doing this for the right reasons.”

Gallego has endorsed Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) for president.

“I like all the nominees at this point, someone’s going to have to win me over — right now I’m supporting Eric Swalwell for president. He’s my best friend. He’s got the youth, the energy and the experience,” he said.

When asked if he thinks the Democratic field is too crowded, Gallego said, “No, because all we need is one to beat Trump.”